


Rookie, Rookie

by baridalive



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Car Racing, Cute, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Hyuck is salty for 97 percent of this, Kissing, M/M, Mark is just annoyed, NASCAR, Racing, Rivalry, Rivals, Yukhei won't give anyone a break, lmao sorry Kun is only here for like 2 seconds, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 17:01:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17248022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baridalive/pseuds/baridalive
Summary: Donghyuck has a new racing rival, but it would be much easier to hate him if he wasn't so damn attractive





	Rookie, Rookie

**Author's Note:**

> you can thank red velvet's rookie and nascar for the existence of this fic  
> proofreading was minimal... yikes  
> my research for this was even more sketchy than it was for Country (Club) Boy, I Love You so come tell me if anything is glaringly wrong and i'll go fix it!!!!!  
> this is only rated t for some language  
> enjoy!!!

The morning had been peaceful and quiet. Donghyuck had been sitting on the floor of his living room, a bowl of cereal amongst the car parts spread out across his coffee table. There were blueprints for cars spread about the room and the table as Donghyuck pored over their contents, determined to fix a problem he’d been having with his car.

 

Bright sunshine was filtering through the sheer curtains he had over the windows that faced East to his backyard. There were birds chirping in the trees outside, and he was content since everything was so peaceful and quiet.

 

Until his best friend of ten years, who also doubled as his manager and crew chief, burst through his front door, waving a magazine over his head. Donghyuck groaned as some of the blueprints drifted off of the table as the breeze from the door brushed over them.

 

“Hyuck! You’ve _got_ to see this!” Mark called, skidding to a halt right in front of him to slap down the tabloid down on the table in front of him, almost spilling his cereal.

 

Donghyuck glared up at Mark. “You know, just because I gave you a set of keys to the house doesn’t mean that you can just barge in whenever you want.”

 

“This is important, Donghyuck,” Mark shook his head, the severity seeping into his tone made Donghyuck realize that Mark probably had a good reason for that.

 

Donghyuck pulled a face, but picked up the magazine anyway. On the front cover, there was a picture of a really good-looking guy: scruffy blond hair, big brown eyes, angular face, full lips. It was a lot to take in for a moment.

 

“Just because there’s a hot guy in the front of _Autoweek_ doesn’t mean you can—” Donghyuck began to protest, but Mark just huffed and plucked the magazine from his hands, flipping through it until he found the page he wanted.

 

“Here.” Mark put the magazine back into Donghyuck’s hands. “This was the important part.” The page that Mark had turned to was an article about they guy on the front: Wong Yukhei. He was apparently some hot shot new racer who had gotten within a second of beating Donghyuck’s own record time on the Sonoma Raceway.

 

The entire article was focused on how Yukhei was the new Donghyuck, and how Yukhei was coming for the titles of both Rookie of the Year and Most Successful Young Racer. There was a transcription of an interview on the next page between Yukhei and one of _Autoweek_ ’s experts, but Mark had already pulled out Donghyuck’s laptop and was pulling up the video of the interview.

 

The interview had taken place in some sports news studio that looked generic, but Wong Yukhei himself was most definitely not generic. He was dressed in a fitted grey suit and was gently lounging back in one of the black leather armchairs with almost unrivaled confidence and poise. His hair was a little shorter than it had been on the cover of the article—he must have had the good sense to cut it—but he otherwise looked the same.

 

“So, Yukhei,” The interviewer was a ditzy blond, of whom Donghyuck was sure he’d dealt with before. “How do you feel about your racing career so far?”

 

Yukhei chuckled. “What racing career? I’ve barely even started.” His voice was deeper than Donghyuck had been expecting, but it wasn’t an unwelcome surprise.

 

The blonde, Megan, Donghyuck remembered vaguely, laughed. “Well, how do you feel about what you have done so far?”

 

“I feel pretty good, but I know I need to do better.” Yukhei shifted in his seat. “I’ve been competing in national level events for less than nine months, and there’s still so much to do before I’ll consider anything a success.”

 

“So would you say you’re… optimistic about your future in racing?” Megan leaned a little too far forward, letting a little too much of her cleavage show. Donghyuck winced at the clear discomfort in Yukhei’s body language.

 

“I’d say so yes, but I also know that I need to keep working hard and improving if I want to keep the trajectory I have right now.

 

“So how does your biggest rival play into all of this?” Megan asked.

 

Yukhei frowned. “My biggest what?”

 

“Your biggest rival? Lee Donghyuck?” She supplied, almost as if appalled that Yukhei didn’t understand what she meant.

 

Yukhei breathed out a laugh. “If Lee Donghyuck is my biggest rival, I must be doing a lot better than I thought I was.”

 

“You’re very humble.” Megan commented, unnecessarily from Donghyuck’s perspective. “But what are your thoughts on being considered in the same league as the greatest young racer of the decade?”

 

“I think that Lee Donghyuck is the most legendary racer of my generation,” Donghyuck let out an ungraceful snort, but Mark whacked his arm to shut him up. “He’s actually one of my greatest idols in racing, and it would be a huge honor to be considered in a league even close to his.”

 

“So,” Megan finally leaned back in her chair and Yukhei seemed to relax a bit. “What would you say to Donghyuck if he was here now, watching?”

 

“Uh,” Yukhei began eloquently, clearly not prepared for that question before he looked at the camera directly. “I’d say that he is an absolutely phenomenal racer that I look up to, but that he had better stay on his toes.”

 

Donghyuck’s mind was reeling through the rest of the interview, letting the rest of the words flow past him as he dwelled on Yukhei’s address directly to him. The video finished and Mark snapped the laptop shut.

 

“I don’t like that look in your eyes, Hyuck.” Mark eyed him warily, moving from the floor onto the couch that his back had just been resting against.

 

“Mark,” Donghyuck stood up with minimal difficulty for the first time in weeks.

 

“Oh, God,” Mark let himself sink back onto the sofa, admitting defeat. “What do you want me to do?”

 

“How soon can you get me an interview with _ESPN_?”

* * *

 

**THREE DAYS LATER**

* * *

 

The waiting room was warmer than Donghyuck remembered; the leather of the couches and chairs seemed to soak up as much heat from the sun as they were emitting, so nearly every surface was warm to the touch.

 

Donghyuck was perched on the arm of one of the chairs, sipping on a complimentary juice box as Mark paced the room.

 

“What are _you_ so stressed about?” Donghyuck threw his empty juice box as Mark, hitting him square in the head. “You’re not the one about to go on live television here, Marky.”

 

Mark paused and shrugged. “I’m worried,” He gnawed on his bottom lip. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

 

Donghyuck only had time to nod before a woman peeked into the room, a headset on her head and a clipboard in her hands. “They’re ready for you, Mister Lee.”

 

Donghyuck choked out a laugh as he stood, smoothing out the imaginary wrinkles in his suit. “I was about to ask which Mister Lee.”

 

Mark whacked Donghyuck’s shoulder before fixing his hair one last time. “You’ve got this. Be smart and try not to say anything you’ll regret.”

 

“Don’t worry,” Donghyuck shot Mark an easy smile on his way out of the room. “When do I ever?” The door swung shut before Mark could get out a reply, but he was sure that his manager would have some choice words for that statement after he was done.

 

“Donghyuck!” A voice on his right causes him to nearly stumble in surprise. His name had come from the mouth of none other than Seo Johnny, with Jung Jaehyun trailing not too far behind. “How are you doing, man?”

 

Donghyuck grinned and shook the interviewer’s hand. “I’m not bad, Johnny. How are you two doing?”

 

The three of them kept up a bit of small talk as Jaehyun led him over to the filming area where Donghyuck was directed to sit down in an armchair across from two identical ones where Johnny and Jaehyun sat.

 

“Welcome back to _NCT Racing_! I’m Johnny,” Johnny began the segment the moment the cameras started rolling with such confidence and ease that it made Donghyuck feel a little less jumpy.

 

“And I’m Jaehyun. Now, as you may have heard, we have someone very special here to talk with us today!” Jaehyun spoke to the cameras.

 

Johnny nodded. “That’s right. The youngest racing legend, and the current record holder of the Indy 500 with an astounding time of two hours and thirty five minutes, we have the one and only Lee Donghyuck!” Johnny and Jaehyun applauded as the camera panned over to Donghyuck.

 

“So, young legend,” They all laughed at the title Donghyuck was commonly referred to as in the racing community. “How are you doing today?”

 

“I’m doing great, Jaehyun.”

 

“How do you feel about your last race? Chicagoland was where it was, I believe.”

 

Donghyuck nodded, thoughtful. “I felt pretty good about it, considering it was my first race back after the crash. I’m not going to complain about getting second place.”

 

“Ah, the crash,” Johnny’s eyebrows drew together. “That was what? A few months ago? How are your injuries?”

 

Donghyuck shrugged off their concern, but had to clench his fists to keep the tremors from showing. “The doc says I’m good to be back out, and that’s all that matters.” He paused for a moment. “Well, that and my manager said I was getting irritable because I hadn’t been behind the wheel in so long.”

 

Johnny seemed content with his answer, and moved on. “So did you get a new car after your last one was wrecked?”

 

Donghyuck grinned, relaxing back in his seat a bit. “Yeah, I did. I helped design it actually. That was the project that helped keep me sane while I was away.”

 

Jaehyun leaned forward, interested. “So the new partnership with Tesla? Are the rumors true?” Donghyuck sighed, shifting in his seat.

 

“Between you and me, Jaehyun, I’m not supposed to say anything. I can neither confirm nor deny those allegations.”

 

Johnny looked disappointed, but a smile played on his lips to show Donghyuck that this was all in good fun. “Could you give us a hint?”  


Donghyuck pretended to look side-to-side before leaning forward to mirror Jaehyun’s position. “I can tell you one thing,” The interviewers nodded eagerly. “I’m moving in the direction of clean, sustainable transportation, and there has been a company helping me with my efforts.”

 

Johnny and Jaehyun gasped in unison, but Donghyuck just held his hands up in defense. “I can’t say anything else for now.”

 

Jaehyun nodded slowly. “Okay, what about a different topic than cars?” He gave a meaningful glance to Johnny, who just gave him the universal gesture of ‘go ahead’. “What about people?”

 

Donghyuck frowned on the outside, but on the inside this was going in exactly the direction he had anticipated. “What do you mean?” He asked, feigning confusion.

 

“We’ve heard something about a new challenger?” Johnny said carefully. “Is this correct? Did you have a new rival come into the scene while you were away?”

 

Donghyuck raised his eyebrows. “Oh?” He folded his hands in front of him. “I haven’t heard of anyone. Care to give me the scoop?”

 

“His name is Wong Yukhei,” Jaehyun let out excitedly. “And although he made his major-league racing debut less than a year ago, he’s already threatened to break your record times in races at both Daytona and Bristol.”

 

Donghyuck laughed lightly, leaning back in his seat. “He sound like quite the opponent. I’d love to get to race him sometime, you know, see what the rookie is made of.”

 

Johnny was ecstatic, clapping his hands together. “Would you ever do a one-v-one with him?”

 

“I’d certainly be interested,” Donghyuck couldn’t stop the smile from overtaking his face. “But it depends on what the rookie is up for.”

 

“Would you give a message to him?” Jaehyun urged, pointing at the camera in the corner. “I’m sure he’s watching.”

 

“Of course,” Donghyuck focused his attention on the camera that Jaehyun had gestured to. “Hey, Yukhei. I heard you’re coming for my place, but I’d be interested to put you back in yours.” There was a smile on his face to soften the blow of the words, but they were still there.

 

Johnny and Jaehyun let out little _oooh_ ’s, and Donghyuck swore he could hear Mark groaning in annoyance from the other room.

 

“You decide the time, I’ll decide the place, and  we’ll meet each other soon, I hope.”

 

Johnny let out a low whistle. “You are a very brave man.”

 

Donghyuck just laughed. “So I’ve been told.”

 

Jaehyun turned to Donghyuck, a glint of concern in his eyes. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

 

Donghyuck smiled, tilting his head to the side just a notch. “I think that’s a question you should be asking the rookie.”

* * *

 

**THREE WEEKS LATER**

* * *

 

Donghyuck was pacing the locker room floor, listening to the voices of the announcers for the race—Johnny and Jaehyun, funnily enough—drift through from outside.

 

“This is the third largest crowd Daytona Beach has ever drawn!”

 

“Makes sense for the biggest rivalry racing has seen since Senna and Prost in Formula One. And the fact that it’s a non-league-officiated race makes it completely irrelevant to their current standings, and they’re just racing for pride.”

 

Donghyuck sat down on one of the benches and fiddled with the straps on his helmet. He finally rests his elbows on his knees and puts his head in his hands, trying to calm himself down. There shouldn’t be any reason for him to be this nervous, yet here he was.

 

A gentle hand on his shoulder caused Donghyuck to jolt up, coming face-to-face with Wong Yukhei for only the second time, the first being an hour or so prior when they shook hands in front of the press to which each other good luck.

 

“You’re nervous.” Yukhei said. It wasn’t a question.

 

Donghyuck sighed, clenching his fist so he wouldn’t shake. “I’m so glad you pointed it out, rookie.”

 

Yukhei breathed out a laugh before sitting down next to Donghyuck on the bench, facing the opposite direction so he was looking off at the wall opposite the one Donghyuck had his eyes trained on.

 

“You’re the best racer of this generation for a reason, Donghyuck,” Yukhei began, his voice heavier than he had expected. “I may be good, but I’m still new. I have no real idea what I’m doing and you have all of the experience here. You’ve been doing this since you were, what? Sixteen? And you were breaking records that same year.”

 

Donghyuck bit down the retort that Yukhei was doing exactly that, although he wasn’t sixteen, instead, opting for a more lighthearted reply. “Best racer of this generation?” Donghyuck asked, gently shoving Yukhei’s shoulder. “Isn’t that the title you’re coming for?”

 

“I know, but I don’t want to kick your ass unless you’re at your best.” Yukhei shrugged, making Donghyuck grin in response.

 

“I like you, rookie.”

 

“The feeling is mutual.” Yukhei grinned back, just as bright. They sat together there in silence for a moment, just letting the sounds of the wild crowd and the booming voices of the announcers bounce through the locker room and wash over them.

 

“So,” Donghyuck started, feeling as if the silence between them had dragged on for too long. “What does the winner get?”

 

Yukhei took a moment to ponder the question, tilting his head to the side ever-so-slightly. “Money or a physical prize wouldn’t make any sense, so how about a favor?” Donghyuck looked at him, intrigued. “Just one small favor, and it doesn’t have to be something public, but it can be if the winner chooses.”

 

Donghyuck raised his eyebrows and considered it for a moment before sticking out his hand for Yukhei to shake. “It’s a deal.” They shook hands, sharing a smile for just a moment before Johnny’s voice announced Yukhei’s name.

 

“Well, that’s me,” Yukhei stood up, grabbing his helmet. He was nearly out of the door before he turned back around to face Donghyuck. “Good luck, Donghyuck.”

 

He saluted Yukhei, the edges of his lips twitching upwards. “You too, rookie.” With that, Yukhei pushed to the door open to walk into the bright afternoon sunshine, leaving Donghyuck alone in the locker room once again.

 

He didn’t have much time to dwell on his nerves again before he heard Jaehyun announce his name. Donghyuck took a deep breath, tucked his own helmet under his arm, and walked outside to greet the screaming crowd.

 

Donghyuck waved to the people with a smile on his face as he walked out across the track to meet Mark, who is standing by his car with a pensive expression.

 

“More people showed up today than did when you won the Indy 500.” Mark fiddled with his clipboard nervously. Donghyuck simply steadied his best friend’s shoulders and looked him right in the eye.

 

“You shouldn’t be he anxious one here, Minhyung. It’s my name and reputation on the line, not yours.” Mark grimaced upon hearing his full name, but composed himself as he fit Donghyuck with his earpiece.

 

Mark drew him into a quick hug. “Kick that rookie’s ass, okay?”

 

Donghyuck nodded. “You know I will.” Mark gently pushed him off in the direction of the race officiator, who was waiting for Donghyuck—Yukhei was already standing by the officiator’s side—so they could confirm the details of the race.

 

The race would take place over the course of fifty laps, a mere quarter of what the Indy 500 was, which meant that Donghyuck would have to make his moves strategically and quickly. Donghyuck and Yukhei shook hands one more time, with Yukhei squeezing his hand in comfort before they parted in opposite directions so neither could see the small smiles growing on both of their faces.

 

“You ready for this?” Mark asked as Donghyuck slipped through the window of his car, already pulled up a the starting line. Donghyuck took a deep breath as he buckled himself in, making sure to test all of the straps before accepting his helmet from Mark.

 

“Born ready, baby.” Mark smiled at the words before patting the top of his car, and rushing away to get to the pit. Donghyuck ran his hand through his hair to push it back as he slipped his helmet on.

 

Donghyuck ran his fingers over the controls of the new Tesla, hoping that all of the simulation training he had been doing had been enough to make sure that he had memorized the placements of all his new controls.

 

There was a flash of movement outside at the right of his car, and Donghyuck looked over in time to see Yukhei’s manager dashing away from Yukhei’s car back into the pits. Yukhei caught Donghyuck looking and just shot him a smirk before putting his own helmet on.

 

Donghyuck made a show of rolling his eyes as he flipped his visor down and turned his attention back to the track in front of him, listening closely to the crowd go nearly silent when the announcers began speaking again.

 

“In car number twenty-five on right right side of the track, we have rookie racer Wong Yukhei!” Jaehyun’s voice could probably have been heard from a mile away, but the revving of Yukhei’s engine was even louder as he stuck a hand out the window to wave to the crowd.

 

“And in car number six, we have the one and only Lee Donghyuck!” Johnny’s voice was nearly drowned out between the crowd cheering and Donghyuck made a point to rev his engine even louder, and an _oooh_ washed over the stadium.

 

Donghyuck couldn’t hear Yukhei laugh at the little demonstration over the sound of the fans, but when he peeked over at his opponent out of the corner of his eye, he could see Yukhei’s head thrown back and his chest heaving up and down with laughter.

 

Donghyuck smiled into his helmet as he trained his eyes forward once again. He adjusted his grip on the steering wheel with one hand and carefully placed one on the gear shift beside him. Mark’s voice crackled into his ear, telling him that all systems were good to go, but Donghyuck didn’t give him a reply.

 

The people in the stands went silent once again; everyone seemed to be holding their breath in anticipation as a man Donghyuck barely had the time to recognize as legendary racer Qian Kun walked up to a platform with a green flag in his hand.

 

Kun seemed to nod at both of the racers, but it could just have been a trick of the sun behind the man, before he raised the flag and waved it down.

 

There was a roar of engines and a squeal of tires as both of the racers slammed on the gas, and they were off with nothing but tire marks and the smell of burnt rubber in their wake.

 

Donghyuck tuned out the yelling of the crowd as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel and took the inside of the first curve. He had to take every curve on the inside because he wasn’t sure how well the speed of the battery-powered car he was driving would compare to Yukhei’s diesel-fueled one, and he wasn’t going to risk anything.

 

The first twenty laps, they were neck-and-neck, chasing each other around every turn. On the twenty first lap, Yukhei pulled a move and forced Donghyuck to take the outside of the next turn for the first time, causing him to fall a foot behind the other.

 

By the thirtieth lap, Yukhei had pulled half of a car length ahead, but he wasn’t running away yet, and he definitely hadn’t won. Anyone who had ever seen Donghyuck race knew that his specialty was being patient to make his move at the perfect moment, and that he wasn’t afraid to wait until the last possible second to do so.

 

Donghyuck was sitting pretty comfortably in Yukhei’s slipstream when Mark’s voice crackled into his earpiece for the first time in the forty-fifth lap.

 

“You gonna make a move?” There was a tinge of concern in his voice that made Donghyuck smile.

 

“Not yet.” Donghyuck knew that Mark understood his driving methods, but he also knew that he was getting to the point of cutting it a little close, and Mark’s worries were valid.

 

“But by my calculations—”

 

“I’m not calculating anything, Mark.” Donghyuck wanted to roll his eyes, but that would have just meant taking his vision of the track away for a split-second and the risk wasn’t worth it. “I’m just feeling it.”

 

“Hyuck—”

 

“Just trust me, alright?”

 

Lap forty-seven. Yukhei got cocky and took the second turn a bit too wide, allowing Donghyuck to slip up a little closer to him, Donghyuck’s back bumper exactly in like with Yukhei’s back one.

 

Lap forty-eight.

 

“I’m going to regret trusting you, aren’t I?”

 

“Fuck off, Mark.”

 

Lap forty-nine.

 

“Make your move, Hyuck!”

 

“I will!”

 

Lap fifty, first turn. Mark’s anxiety was starting to rub off on Donghyuck and it most definitely was not helping anything.

 

“You risky son of a b—”

 

“Don’t let your mother hear you finish that sentence, Minhyung.”

 

There was a gasp through the line. “I know what you’re going to do. You’re so stupid! It barely worked in the simulation! What if it doesn’t work?”

 

Donghyuck simply gripped the gear shift so hard he felt his knuckles going white under his gloves. “It will.”

 

On the last turn, Donghyuck floored the gas instead of decelerating, faking a move to go to the inside of Yukhei’s trajectory around the curve. Yukhei swerved to cut him off, but Donghyuck had taken a path to the outside of the turn as fast as his car could go.

 

Yukhei had lost enough time and momentum from the swerve at the turn that when they reached the straightaway, Yukhei ended up just behind Donghyuck’s back bumper. Donghyuck pressed the gas pedal all the way to the floor down the final stretch, and passed the checkered line nearly an entire car length in front of Yukhei.

 

Donghyuck looked up to catch a glimpse of Kun waving the checkered flag on the platform above the track, a proud smile on his face as the two cars whipped past him. Donghyuck could barely hear Mark’s voice through the earpiece as he tuned back into reality, letting the deafening cheers of the crowd overwhelm him as he took a victory lap around the track.

 

Johnny and Jaehyun were going absolutely crazy over the loudspeakers and Donghyuck couldn’t help but laugh at their enthusiasm over him winning. When he had looped all the way back around to the finish line, he pulled to a stop and hopped out of his car to be met with half of the crowd that had flooded the track.

 

He climbed up on top of his car and took off his helmet to scan the crowd for any familiar faces, but was interrupted by Johnny and Jaehyun, who had made their way down to the track, handing him a microphone to make an announcement.

 

Donghyuck gripped the microphone and looked across the sea of people until he caught sight of Yukhei not too far away, leaning against his car with his helmet tucked under his arm and a warm smile on his lips. Donghyuck felt his face heat up under Yukhei’s gaze even though hundreds, if not thousands, of eyes were already trained on him.

 

“Rookie!” Donghyuck called through the microphone, watching Yukhei’s expression contort to one of surprise because Donghyuck was addressing him. “Rookie, get over here!”

 

Yukhei set down his helmet inside his car, mumbling a word to the petite brunette that Donghyuck remembered was Yukhei’s manager. “Rookie here and I agreed on a prize for the winner back in the locker room earlier.”

 

Donghyuck nearly laughed at how comically wide Yukhei’s eyes went. “Can you refresh my mind on what it was?” He asked Yukhei teasingly, mischief glinting in his eyes.

 

Yukhei was halfway through the crowd when he shouted his response. “One request!” Or it was something along those lines, Donghyuck couldn’t quite tell exactly what he said.

 

“We said that whoever won could ask a favor of the other, that’s right.” Donghyuck grinned as Yukhei made it to his car, hands on his hips as he stood right in front of it.

 

“Well? What do you want?” The sass in Yukhei’s tone only made Donghyuck smile wider.

 

“Get up here and I’ll tell.” Yukhei leaped up on the hood of the car and carefully walked across it until he accepted Donghyuck’s offered hand to help him get all the way up on the roof of it. Donghyuck took the mic away from his mouth and leaned in close to Yukhei so he could hear him. “You ready, rookie?”

 

“I still don’t know what I have to do, but I guess so.” Yukhei shrugged, his eyes flicking down from Donghyuck’s eyes for just a moment, but it was long enough.

 

“Good.” And with no further warning, Donghyuck looped his arms around Yukhei’s neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Yukhei didn’t respond, his eyes wide in shock when Donghyuck pulled away sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I thought you—”

 

But Donghyuck couldn’t even finish his thought before Yukhei dove back down to capture Donghyuck’s lips. Donghyuck dropped the microphone to tangle his fingers in Yukhei’s hair, and the crowd didn’t seem to matter when Yukhei’s lips slotted to beautifully with his own.

 

Everything about the kiss was soft and smooth and warm with Yukhei’s arms wrapped around his waist and his soft lips moving so languidly against Donghyuck’s own.

 

Yukhei licked a line across the seam of Donghyuck’s lips, but Donghyuck jumped back when he felt a slap at his ankle. He looked down to see Mark standing on the ground next to Yukhei’s manager, both of them with their arms crossed looking equally livid.

 

“Keep it in your pants, Xuxi, you’re still in public.” Yukhei’s manager hisses, making him laugh and pull Donghyuck a little closer to his side.

 

“Sorry, Renjun.” He didn’t look sorry at all.

 

Donghyuck just laughed, pressing a gentle kiss to Yukhei’s lips, without a single care in the world.  


* * *

 

(“Welcome back to _NCT Racing_ , the podcast to get all of your bi-weekly racing updates!”

 

“Big news in the world of racing tonight, Johnny! Longtime boyfriends and rivals Lee Donghyuck and Wong Yukhei are engaged!”

 

“That’s right, Jaehyun! After last night’s race at Daytona that Yukhei won, he got down on one knee, allegedly saying that if he could beat Donghyuck at the speedway where they first raced and Donghyuck won, that maybe it was time it was time for him to take the big leap.”

 

Johnny cooed. “They make quite the couple.”

 

Jaehyun laughed. “They sure do. I just hope we get invited to the wedding!”)

**Author's Note:**

> happy new year's everyone!!!  
> i'll be posting my next chapter of BOSS as the first thing i do on ao3 in 2019 so i can start the year off right with some more markhyuck  
> this fic is highkey somewhat of an apology for how i left hyuckhei in my christmas au, so i hope you can forgive me after this! :)  
> i also kind of left this a little open ended for a continuation (?) in the future (?) we'll see how it goes, though  
> i love you all very much and i'll see you all in 2019!!
> 
> come yell at me on my socials about anything <3
> 
>  
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/baridalive)  
> [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/baridalive)  
> [tumblr](https://baridalive.tumblr.com)


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